tml

On Saturday, December 22, 2012, over 1,700 Muslims representing masajid from across the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan region came out in support of Dar-us-Salaam's campaign to purchase a 66-acre property in Howard County, Maryland as a new education and community campus.

Dar-us-Salaam – the College Park community that is home to the pre-K through 12th grade Al-Huda School – signed a contract to purchase the former Catholic school campus in Ramadan; they have till summer 2013 to raise the $8 million needed for the property plus an additional $2 million for settlement costs and development.

The fund raising drive, called the “Home of the Heart” campaign, started well before the December dinner with small fundraisers in homes and one to one presentations on the project. The banquet – held at the North Bethesda Marriott Conference Center – was the first major, community wide event for the Home of the Heart campaign.

Imam Siraj Wahaj, Imam Karim Abu Zaid (former Imam of the Prince George's Muslim Association and now the Imam of Masjid Abu Bakr in Colorado), Dr. Altaf Hussain, and Imam Safi Khan headlined the event. Entertainment was provided by Al-Huda School students and young martial artists from Dar-us-Salaam's Aqabah Karate.

The $600,000 goal was surpassed by about $15,000, according to preliminary figures from Dar-us-Salaam's funding development office.

“This dinner was a big show of support for the campaign, and it shows there is a lot of excitement for the new campus in shaa Allah,” said Dar-us-Salaam shura member Sayeed Jaweed. “We are committed to keep working hard to raise the rest of the funds … although the amount seems large our faith promises that if we sincerely do it for Allah's pleasure, He will make it happen,” added Jaweed.

To learn more about the new campus project, visit www.homeoftheheart.org.